A conventional, automated apparatus for removing skin from the shoulder and neck areas of a chicken carcass is indicated in US 2011/0092146. The apparatus indicated therein includes first deskinning means and second deskinning means operating as a neck skinner and a shoulder skinner that are mounted to an elongated support wall in a longitudinally spaced relationship. This known apparatus further comprises a conveyor line in the form of a suspension conveyor for moving the suspended poultry along the deskinning means for processing the passing poultry. Each of the deskinning means includes a rotatable gripper roll that is circumferentially provided with longitudinally extending fins or teeth having radial ends facing away from a rotational axis of the roll and providing a frictional outer surface to the roll for catching engagement with the skin. Each of the deskinning means further includes pinch means adjacent to the rotatable gripper roll to pinch or trap the skin between the gripper roll and the pinch means, to which end the pinch means have an edge that mates with the radial ends of the teeth during rotation of the roll.
A first problem with this known poultry processing device is that it frequently requires manual assistance to remove the loosened skin from the deskinning means after the skin is removed from the meat of the poultry.
A second problem is fouling of the frictional outer surface of the roll, which associates with the previous mentioned problem and which also deteriorates the efficiency of the known apparatus in continued use.
A third problem which associates with the first and the second problem is that disruptions in the conveyor line occur when the effectiveness in the removal of skin of the known device is impaired due to untimely removal of the skin from the deskinning means.
A fourth problem is that the known apparatus is unsuitable for removing skin of the back meat of poultry.